Vigor of Twelve is a play off of the fact that Jesus had twelve disciples. It is a name that helps stress an importance on discipleship. This blog is specifically geared for younger people and mature Christians who don't mind a fresh, bold, and blunt approach to faith. Comments welcome, let's begin the discussion!

Pages

Thursday, September 1, 2016

Luke 21:10-13

Luke 21:10-13

Then he was saying to them, “Nation will be
raised upon nation and a kingdom upon a kingdom. And there will be great earthquakes and
according to various places famines and diseases. And there will also be fearful events – great
signs from heaven. And before all these
things they will cast upon you all their hands and they will pursue you while
handing over into the synagogues and prisons while being led away upon kings
and governors on account of my name. It
will result for you all into testimony.

Thoughts
for Today

First Thought:

As we heard yesterday, there will be wars and rumors of
wars. Nations will rise up against one
another. Creation will even begin to
revolt as earthquakes happen. There will
be shortages of food. There will be great
signs in heaven – possibly things like meteor showers, meteor impacts, aurora
borealis, and who knows what else. In
other words, there will be plenty of things to get our attention. The trick is being willing to pay attention.

Are you paying attention to the world around you? How easy is it to focus on your own life and
not be concerned with the world around you?

Second Thought:

What does Jesus tell us will be the true sign of the last
days? It isn’t wars or rumors of
wars. It isn’t even earthquakes and
famine and disease. It won’t even be
great and incredible signs in the heavens.
All of these things tell us to pay attention, but they aren’t the
end. The end is when the world rejects
His followers utterly and completely.
The end is a global persecution of His followers. The end is when people who follow God are
arrested, dragged in front of judges, and found guilty and sent to be punished
because of their faith. When that
happens, we know that the time is near the end.

How does it make you feel to know that the end will be
marked by rejection of the church? Do
you feel like you are ever truly living in persecution for your faith?

Third Thought:

What is the result of persecution? Those who are truly in God will testify to
His name. The focus is upon God. In the end, all things – even the persecution
of His followers – will point back to God.
This is important for us to understand, because in this we truly find
humbleness. When we are willing to
consider that the goal of all things is to point back to God our creator and
Father, we can remain humble and focused on His will.

How ready are you to accept persecution
and proclaim God’s glory in the process?
When are you likely to not accept persecution?